The amount of greenhouse gases we’ve already pumped into the atmosphere has irreversibly bound us to a certain amount of warming over the next several decades. That means climate change isn’t a problem for tomorrow—the effects are happening now. Already raining patterns seem to be changing, making some drier areas even drier, and rainy regions even wetter. As warmer temperatures creep northward, so do insects and other pests that are adapted to the heat. The population of the tiny mountain pine beetle, which infests pine trees in the Rocky Mountain region, used to be controlled by freezing winters. But as temperatures have warmed over the past decade, the mountain pine beetle’s territory has spread, destroying millions of acres of Canadian pines.
The pine beetle infestation represents the unique challenges that warming will pose for land conservation managers on the front lines of the battle against it. Generations of American conservationists have fought to preserve wildlife and to keep nature pure in the face of a growing population and pollution. But global warming threatens to change all that, by altering the very foundation on which the conservation movement was built. What good is a wildlife reserve if the protected animals can’t live there, because climate change pushes them out What difference does it make to defend trees from logging, if global warming will allow a new pest to ruin the whole forests
The answer is to adapt the way we practice wildlife and land conservation to climate change There’s a term for this—adaptive management. We need to begin making moves today to adapt to changes that warming will bring decades hence. " Climate change will affect anything, you name it, " said Lara Hansen of EcoAdapt. " We need to change the way we allocate resources and protect livelihoods. "
That means that the way we’ve been carrying out conservation—picking the right land spaces and playing goalie—won’t work anymore, as climate change keeps moving the target. Conservationists will have to work even harder, trying to minimize non-climate-related threats to land and species even as the human population grows by billions. Regardless of what we do, the changes will be coming last and the future will bring increased drought, heat waves, rainstorms, extinctions and more. We need to begin cutting our carbon immediately, but we need to adapt now as well. The world is changing because of us; to save what’s left, we’ll have to change too.
According to the author, what should be done in the face of climate change

A:To control the growth of human population. B:To shift the focus to climate-related threats. C:To adapt ourselves to the climate change. D:To do something to delay the climate change.

Nearly three-quarter of the Earth is covered with water. The (1) of the continents, especially in the temperate zones, is very much (2) by the oceans around them. The areas (3) the sea have a " (4) climate", with rather cool summers and warm winters. The interiors, far from the sea, have a climate with extremely hot summers and cold winters.
Rain comes from the evaporation of rivers, seas and lakes. (5) after heavy rain, the pavements in a city do not take (6) to dry because the rainwater evaporates into the air. On a warm dry day it evaporates very rapidly, as warm air can absorb more (7) than cold air. (8) at any particular temperature, the atmosphere can hold only a certain (9) amount of water vapor. The air is then saturated, (10) a sponge that cannot hold any more water. The lower the temperature, the (11) water vapour is required to saturate the air.
All over the surface of the Earth, millions of tons of water are evaporating every second, (12) in the air into drops so small that it (13) thousands of them to make a single raindrop. It is these (14) droplets that make clouds. When clouds roll in from the sea over the warmer land, they are forced to (15) and become cooler in the colder upper atmosphere. As the air (16) it may pass through its (17) point and then some of its water vapor turns to rain. Day in, day out, the (18) water circulates between the air and the land: rivers evaporate to make clouds, clouds make rain, rain makes rivers which (19) run into the sea. This is called the rain (20) .

A:temperature B:shape C:feature D:climate

Are you planning a vacation If you like hot and extremely dry summers, go to Phoenix, Arizona. For hot temperatures but lots of rain and thunderstorms, try Miami, Florida. If you want average temperatures and rainfall, St. Louis, Missouri, is the spot. Or if you’re a cold weather fan, head to Fairbanks, Alaska. Its winters are very cold with little precipitation. Each of these cities has a certain type of weather. The average weather for a place over many years is called climate, and in no two places in the world is it exactly the same. How can this be
Many things in nature, such as sunshine, temperature, and precipitation, affect climate. Nearness to mountain, oceans, and large lakes affects it too. Another factor is altitude, or height above sea level. Air cools as altitude increases. So a city at a higher altitude may be colder than one at a lower altitude. Finally, winds affect climate. They move heat and moisture between the oceans and continents. Winds keep the tropics from overheating. They keep the polar regions from getting overly cold.
Climate changes over long periods of time. Some scientists think, for example, that the earth’s climate changed at the time of the dinosaurs. They think the dinosaurs died because of the change. What causes a climate to change One possible cause may be changes in the sun. Sunspots, for example, are cool, dark spots that form on the sun. Sunspots may decrease precipitation on the earth and cause unusually dry periods. Changes in the atmosphere may change climate too. Volcanic eruptions, for instance, release solid particles into the air. These particles may form a cloud that blocks out the sun’s heat. Human activity is another cause of climate change. Air pollution and the reduction of forest cover may have long-term effects on climate.

A:precipitation B:climate C:altitude D:sunspots

Mr. Brown often (wore) a heavy coat because he was not (used to) (live) in such a (cold climate).

A:wore B:used to C:live D:cold climate

Passage Three
England is not a big country: from north to south and from east to west it is only about three hundred miles across. But for a small country it has a surprising range of climate. People who have never visited England or who have visited only one part of it often makes the mistake of thinking that it is a cold and wet country. Except for the summer months of June to September, this is probably true of the north of England and the Midlands. In the south, however, the climate is much more pleasant. One result is that when people retire from the job in the north, they often prefer to move down to the south.
Perhaps the warmest part of the country is the southwest, which consists of (is made up of) the counties of Devon and Cornwall, where palm trees, bamboo and many semitropical plants grow well. Flowers and vegetables ripen as much as a month earlier than those elsewhere. Farmers in the areas gain a higher price for their vegetables and flowers because they are ready earlier. In winter there may be several feet of snow in other parts of England but there will probably be no snow at all in the southwest. This may be one of the reasons why the southwest is one of England’s most popular holiday areas.

A:with a cold and wet climate B:with a pleasant climate C:with a surprising climate D:with climates of various kinds

England is not a big country: from north to south and from east to west it is only about three hundred miles across. (76) But for a small country it has a surprising range of climate. People who have never visited England, or who have visited only one part of it, often make the mistake of thinking that it is a cold and wet country. Except for the summer months of June to September, this is probably true of the north of England and the Midlands. In the south, however, the climate is much more pleasant. One result is that when people retire from a job in the north they often prefer to move down to the milder south.
Perhaps the warmest part of the country is the southwest, which consists of the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The warm Gulf Stream flows across the North Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico and makes the coastal regions of the southwest quite warm. Palm trees, bamboo (竹) and many semi-tropical (亚热带的) plants grow well in the southwest of England. Flowers and vegetables ripen(成熟) as much as a month earlier than those elsewhere. Farmers in the area obtain a higher price for their vegetables and flowers because they are ready earlier. (77) In winter there may be several feet of snow in other parts of England but there will probably be no snow at all in the southwest. This may be one of the reasons why the southwest is one of England’ s most popular holiday areas.
England is a country ______.

A:with a cold and wet climate B:with a surprising climate C:with a pleasant climate D:with a variety of climates

Passage 1

A:with a cold and wet climate B:with a surprising climate C:with a pleasant climate D:with a variety of climates

{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}

A:how plants and animals adapt to hidden factors B:how plants and animals interact with the changing climate C:how climate changes D:how climate zones shift